Clear Coating the Dako

On the recommendation of LASH, applied a rather heavy coat of clear coat to gloss up the Dako. I think it came out looking a lot better... more finished.

Flash Dako

I took my Hogan Dako and painted like crazy! The inspiration was the Dako from the flash movies on AnrakuAnsaku's site.

I used the flourescent paint that glows in black light.

This is still a work in progress, as I am touching up and adding a glossy clear coat. I wasn't in love with this end result, the clear coat was recommended by LASH on skullbrain.org, and I think a glossy surface will really help my opinion of it.

Kentucky Fried Goga

I painted my clear orange Gogamejiras last night.

I had fun painting this one - the highly textured surface is really forgiving with any imperfections in my paint application... and I'm sure there are tons of those! :)

I used a red/black/gold mix for the darker areas... the back of his head, his chest, hips, forearms

Metallic gold alone for highlights, nose, eyeballs, fingers, toes

then black to accent some of the darker areas... a small bit on his chest, the back of his head, the very edge of the forearms.

I used a tiny brush for the silver teeth and a paint pen for the black pupils.

Someone on skullbrain said it looked like fried chicken, hence the name of it.

Giant Chiteidako Zoromederu by AnrakuAnsaku

Here's another AnrakuAnsaku! Meet Giant Chiteidako Zoromederu, or Dako as we American guys seem to call him.

The name Dako, seen at the end of the word Chiteidako, has something to do with octopus, and you can see that in this figure. And like the Gogamejiras, on www.anrakuansaku.com you can find Flash movies of Dako up to no good as many giant monsters like to do.

In these movies, you can see Dako flying around on what appears to be helicopter-like spinning feet, and his tentacles constantly flail about. Also, Dako seems to be able to light up his eyes like flashlights and even shoot what are possibly electrified beams from them. He destroys buildings and airplanes and lives under the sea as any great monster should.

Due to the yellow/red color scheme of this particular Dako, I first saw it called the Mustard/Ketchup Dako, but my favorite one is the Hogan Dako. If you know a little about Hulk Hogan, you may remember at a certain point in virtually every Hulk Hogan wrestling match, he would look beaten and then at the last moment would "hulk up" and make a comeback. It's funny because when Hogan would hulk up, he would begin the process by staring up at his opponent with wide, round eyes and wildly exhaling through pursed lips and blown up cheeks... pretty close to the face of this toy!

And again, you can see the artwork for Dako on this print to the right of the Gogamejiras:

Header //4.75 out of 5//:
This header is more like the Goga header than the Mescalgon header was. I've said it before about these, but I really like the homemade "zine" feel they have to them. I like this one a lot. The front of the header features artwork similar to what would appear in one of the website's Flash movies... Dako rising from the sea. I actually wish my Dako was painted to look like this particular artwork. The back of the header is darker. Dako appears here with much more text that I don't understand in a cool, shadowy image composed of basically 1 color (2 if you just count the creepy yellow eyes.

Sculpt //4 out of 5//:
As far as moving parts go, the Dako also is simpler in its design. There is a seam at the waist, and this one also has one at the neck although, because of the tentacles, you can't really turn the head. I would like some movement in the tentacles as well.

The body shape reflects the aquatic nature of the character well looking almost spongy. The texture, as on the other Anraku pieces I have written about, is fantastic and very detailed - with tiny additions like suckers on the tentacles. The oversized head while looking like an octopus, has an almost humorous human-like face that seems to say oooooo!

Judging by the flash movies, the lower part of the body should be turned as I have it below (in the rear shot), but there are 2 feet that would allow you to logically rotate the lower half and give the figure what would be sort of a webbed apron as opposed to the cape that it does now.

The vinyl is nice and heavy with a nice glossy finish, and the figure is well balanced.

Paint //3.5 out of 5//:
This is a decent paint job, but not as impressive as other Anraku pieces out there. It's pretty simple overall with host of the application being spray red over yellow vinyl. There is a dark brown spray on the feet that is a nice touch, as well as hand applied black eyes and blue mouth.

Technically there is nothing really wrong with the paint, but I just don't find it all that exciting.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:
I will always think Anraku toys are cool and make a big toy statement. The bright color of this guy will draw the eye on a shelf as will the facial expression and raised tentacles.

Value //2 out of 5//:
Picked this one up secondhand again, which is going to put some hurtin on the bank. At retail, Anraku pieces are definitely worth the cost!

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:

Positives: Bright, large, nice texture, Hulk Hogan similarities, reversable lower body

Negatives: Pricey, limited poseability

Another homerun by AnrakuAnsaku. If only I could get on "the list."

Mescalgon by AnrakuAnsaku

From my favorite low-run vinyl toy producer AnrakuAnsaku comes this frightening figure: Mescalgon

Like Gogamejiras, there isn't much background provided for Mescalgon... actually there is even less from what i can tell. A theory forwarded to me by miami on the skullbrain.org message board is that Mescalgon is named as such due to his resemblance to the mescal (or peyote) cactus from which mescaline is derived. Mescaline is a hallucinogenic drug for those of you not in the know. :) Miami thinks that Mescalgon also looks like the opium poppy, and I have to say I can agree there.

Time for fantasy world! Maybe Mescalgon not only has his bulk and most likely some sort of breath weapon, a water based corrosive acid mixture, but also can unleash hallucinogenic chemicals that will send his opponents into a dreamlike state in which Mescalgon can really do some damage.

Those head tentacles could probably do some boring into brains when his opponent is sitting in a lifeless state, dreaming about riding a bike or other such nonsense. As i said in my review a couple months ago about Gogamejiras, this company makes some pretty unique and old style monsters... and all to me have an almost kewpie doll feel to them in a way with their outstretched arms and big bellies.

The artwork for Mescalgon is on this print here on the lower left as well as some of their other beasts.

Header //3.75 out of 5//:
While the header card does reflect the art style of Anraku, it also seems just as much an ad for MonStock, the store where many of these figures are sold. It is a heavier stock paper than the Goga header and overall looks more professional. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I liked the homemade "zine" feel of the Goga packaging and thought it fit the style of the toy better.

Sculpt //4.25 out of 5//:
Mescalgon is ultimately a simpler piece in its design than the Gogamejiras. It has fewer "moving" parts as only the head is articulated.

The sculpt is what appears to be a plant like head and a flying sea creature body. The head even could be seen as aquatic as the tentacles on top look like they could be from an octopus. I like the look of this figure quite a bit.

With all the other Anraku toys I have seen, the surface texture is phenominal. Rarely can you find plain, smooth surfaces, and these textures vary as you move to different body parts. The small scales worked into the large scales on the chest are great, and the ridges down the back add even more variety without being overwhelming. Even the eyeballs have dimension on this toy. It really shows great attention to detail.

I only wish there was somehow more stuff to pose outside of turning the head.

Paint //5 out of 5//:
I have no problems with the paint on this figure. The base is orange vinyl and the paint applied compliments/contrasts this color as it should. The application shows the highlighting areas such as the top of the head/face and torso as vintage figures would have been painted. There is even hand painted areas such as the eyes and teeth.

The head tentacles, which to me are an important part of the sculpt, are given added dimension by the under stray of the red to match the top of Mescalgon's head.

The blue and metallic gold farther down on the figure work well together and offset the head well. The streak down his back looks really nice.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:
Anraku toys are ones that, if you are into this genre, you just feel cooler owning. It is very unique like the Gogamejiras (and the Hogan Dako that I will write about soon! :) ).

I gave it a 4.5 because I still think the painted Gogas are cooler and I don't want both to be perfect! haha

Value //2.5 out of 5//:
Unless you are on the magical list, you're going to pay probably about double what these toys retail for. While I got a much better deal on this than the Goga, it was still pricey.

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:

Positives: Great paint and texture, unique character, bulky, photographs well

Negatives: Pricey, no poseability other than a turning head

Mescalgon was another one of those toys that sort of fell in my lap as Anraku toys seem to do. The texture and now color application are both some things that will keep me coming back to this company.

Gogamezilla by AnrakuAnsaku

Now this is a figure I didn't see myself ever coming across. Fortunately I came across the right message board thread at the right time, which allowed me to zip over to eBay and pick this monstrosity up. What a blend of kaiju goodness it is!

Gogamejiras is a monster from a short series of animations on AnrakuAnsaku's website. I am not positive of the background of the character really, but the animations are pretty funny. He has elements of Godzilla with his overall lizard appearance, Gamera in that his feet fold up into rockets to boost him through the air, and an ugli fruit.

Goga seems like a real asshole in them as he just knocks down buildings, blows shit up and covers a man in a giant loogie missile at one point. You can see the animations at the following address:

http://www.anrakuansaku.com/gogameji.htm

[EDIT: As of June, 2008, this link seems to be broken. I'm not sure if the Anraku site will be coming back online, but I will leave my links to it here just in case it does!]


The company makes some pretty unique and old style monsters... most of which seem to be at least partially transparent and all to me have an almost kewpie doll feel to them. You can see the Goga in the top left here as well as some of their other beasts. AnrakuAnsaku has a sort of home made, do-it-yourself feel to their product which I think makes them all the cooler.

Header //5 out of 5//:

I really like the artwork included on the Goga header. Both sides are designed (and honestly I'm not entirely sure which one is the front now. It fits very well with the DIY, homemade vibe of the figure itself. The artwork is that of the website and black-and-white paper insert. I'm not sure what all the text says, but I like that Gogamezilla is shown in his assholey best.... knocking down a clock tower and blowing his breath weapon. The header appears to be printed very small scale probably on an inkjet printer or possibly a color copy, but when taking into account the limited availability of these sculpts, it really makes it feel somewhat like a punk rock zine made on the public library copier.

Sculpt //3 out of 5 technical and 4.25 out of 5 visual//:

I am giving this piece 2 scores here because there have been problems pointed out with the sculpt, but visually it is one of the more interesting toys I have seen.

The Gogamezilla in particular has some issues with the flashing... or the extra vinyl that fits inside another opening and helps to hold these hollow figures together... (I'm not sure if AnrakuAnsaku's other figures have this same issue) From what I understand from speaking with others, the flashing is often trimmed too short which causes the legs, tail, etc. to fit not so perfectly onto the body. I believe I may have lucked out on my particular Goga, because everything seems very solid. There are a couple small areas at the tail joint and the leg joints where the mold itself just doesnt fit right together... like the shapes are just not exactly the same, and that leaves some small gaps.

I could see some balance issues with this figure as well. Again, maybe I lucked out because mine seems very well balanced, but with such a large head and small legs, I could definitely see this figure tipping over. The oversize tail helps to balance also.

And a nit-picky complaint here... this figure takes up a lot of surface area. This really is an issue when shelf space is limited. There is no way for me to properly display him in my Detolf case.

Visually, this sculpt is very interesting. There is great texture in the skin, and his unique arms and head shape really help this piece to stand out amongst many Godzilla clones. With a head that resembles a grapefruit, it is hard to view this guy as evil. His appearance definitely brings a smile to my face. The sculpt of this really reflects the artist's drawings of the character well, capturing I think the hand drawn qualities in 3 dimensions. His dimensions also lend to the visual interest with his oversize tail, tiny claws, and bulbous head. The exposed ribs and smooth interior of the mouth add a little variety to the bumpy surface overall. Very nice visual piece.

Paint //N/A//:

My particular figure is unpainted, but there are many Gogas around that are. As you can see, mine does made from a bright transparent orange vinyl, when combined with the right angle light and the highly textured surface lead to some great coloration and shadows.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:

This is by far one of the coolest kaiju toys I own. It is very unique and a conversation starter whenever it pops up. I gave it a 4 simply because I compare this particular unpainted one with painted Gogas I have seen and also ones that have guts inserted. With guts and a sweet paint job, this one is easily a 5.

Value //2 out of 5//:

Given the scarcity of the AnrakuAnsaku figures in general, I think value becomes relative. It cost quite a bit, but I do not feel I was ripped off. The value here would be much higher if one could be obtained at retail I imagine. I know I paid well over that.

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:
Positives: Clear vinyl always wins me over, unique sculpt

Negatives: Pricey, joint issues, could be top heavy if parts aren't fitting on just right, GIANT footprint making it tougher to display with other pieces.

Gogamejiras (Gogamezilla) was one of the figures I just assumed I would never come across. I feel lucky that this one fell in my lap, and despite paying quite a bit for it, I think it will remain in my collection for quite some time.